The third day in the woods began much as the other two had, but the cold air that had been present during the night did not warm as the morning came in a dull haze. Still deep inside the woods, the clouded sky could occasionally be seen through small gaps in the leafy canopy overhead, and the dark clouds soon brought rain by mid morning. The cold stinging rain fell hard onto Kithicor, drops falling down without mercy onto the progressing travelers below. This cold rain and the equally cold air set up the day ahead to be miserable for the group, especially Dewreal and Bruener who wore so little equipment. Yet the group was in high spirits and walked on without complaint, their cloaked and hooded figures laughing and speaking much more openly with one another than they had so far. Cirran and Lan again walked side by side, briefly discussing what they had learned about their fellow companions from the night before. Bruener and Dewreal spoke up from behind them, often to make a joke when Cirran or Lan made an error in their retelling, but also to elaborate on details they had skipped over during the previous night. It appeared to their guide that the two groups had at least become one, hoping this shaky acceptance of the others would be solid enough to endure the coming difficulties they’d surely face. By afternoon, the rain had stopped and they noticed the trees becoming slightly more sparse, a sign of the height which they were quickly reaching. Although the climb through the slanted forest floor seemed more grueling than the days before, the group only stopped twice, once for a quick break and food, the other when Aldebaran became alarmed at something, sending Bruener happily sprinting off into the surrounding trees. He returned with nothing to report, and so they pushed on.
By late afternoon, a wall of light was visible ahead of them, and after the days spent in the dark wood, they at last reached the final row of trees. Ahead of them lay a breathtaking sight, one which none of the younger had seen and no book could do justice to. The great mountains rose and fell before them, their gray, rocky slopes rising proudly, before giving way to majestic snow-capped peaks. To the north and south the four looked, the mountains filling their view and seeming to go on endlessly in either direction. The clouds overhead were scattered and broken; the sky a deep blue spanning the great hills, as they noticed again the sight of the sun, nearly forgotten during the past days. Aldebaran led them in a path parallel to the tree-line, looking for the road into the mountain town they would soon reach. The ground beneath them was hard and cold, but the change from walking uphill was welcome. By early evening, they had found the path, very similar to the road through the Western Commonlands. It appeared clearly in against its surroundings, yet also gave signs of its lack of use. They walked a short time along the trail before Aldebaran spoke up, deciding it was time to make camp.
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